


Disconnect

by nartes



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: American Sign Language, Aphasia, Arguing, Conflict, Dead Carl Manfred, Family Issues, Leo and Markus are Bad Brothers, M/M, Minor Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Selectively Mute Leo Manfred, i think that's the best way to describe it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:49:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29595807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nartes/pseuds/nartes
Summary: when your mouth doesn't want to cooperate during an argument, there are other ways to get your point across.(alternatively, Daniel Best Boy and Manfreds Bad Bros)
Relationships: Daniel/Leo Manfred, Leo Manfred & Markus
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	Disconnect

Nothing came out. He was in the middle of a heated argument and nothing. Silence.

Leo could feel his arms waving, thoughts racing. And yet, no sound was coming out. He wanted – no, _needed_ – to defend himself and the point he was trying to make, but he couldn’t say a word.

Eyes full of concern, Markus’ shoulders drooped as he made his way over to check on the human. This wasn’t right, wasn’t normal. Neither of them knew what was going on.

When Markus gripped Leo’s arms, it took a lot of coaxing and prising to remove the bone-white fingers from his thick hair. It almost seemed as though the two were trying to fuse together, strands coiling around flesh and cutting off the blood supply.

Laryngitis was ruled out. His voice box wasn’t inflamed and from what Markus could tell with a quick scan, Leo was physically fine (all things considered). Then why wasn’t he talking? What caused him to just… stop?

It was rare, seeing Leo like this. They hadn’t spoken much since the revolution kicked off, busy with their own lives. The few interactions they did have ended in a fight, neither being able to agree with the other. But now, all the anger had simmered away. The atmosphere felt raw, unfiltered by attempts to be the best.

Though Leo was constantly aware of how short he was, in this moment he felt like the smallest thing on earth. Everything felt like too much all at once, the world dropping beneath his feet. He wanted to scream, yell at Markus to get the fuck away from him, but all he could do was groan through a tiny open mouth.

When he started feeling like himself again, the few minutes feeling like an eternity, the pent-up energy came back in one big burst. With the android pushed out of the way, Leo made his escape.

-

The mansion was crammed. Leo’s heart was already pounding when he was walking up the drive and as he stepped inside, he only felt worse.

When Simon sent out the invitations (on Markus’ behalf), Leo imaged the event to be a small get-together to celebrate a recent legal victory, whatever it was. He wasn’t imagining a fucking house party.

Bass reverberating in his chest, Leo squeezed his way through the crowded halls in an attempt to find something that could make his outing worthwhile. The kitchen seemed like the best bet, with plenty of food and booze to get him through the evening. He only agreed to come as a way to check out who Markus was hanging around with and the state of the things Carl left behind. Resentment still burned deep within Leo’s chest whenever he thought of his father’s death, mostly due to his minimal inheritance in comparison to Markus’. That, and the regret at things left unsaid.

For a gathering made up of androids, a surprising amount dominated the kitchen. Passing faces he swore he’d seen just moments before, Leo spotted Simon leaning against a countertop in the corner. This appeared to be a perfect opportunity to bitch and moan whilst also being told where they were hiding the ‘human-friendly’ food.

“So… where can a man get a good drink around here?” Leo queried, sidling up next to the tall blond.

“Sorry, I’m just a guest.” The android didn’t even turn his head when answering, gaze fixed on something in the distance.

This gave Leo a start, eyes blinking and eyebrows quirking. “But didn’t you organise this shindig, Simon?”

“Uh, no, I’m Daniel. Who are you?” 

Fuck. Leo desperately wanted to apologise, earn forgiveness before getting the fuck out of there. Unfortunately, his body didn’t want to cooperate one bit. Dumb look still on his face, all he could do was keep staring at Daniel.

LED turning yellow, Daniel quirked his eyebrow and moved to face Leo, still waiting for a response. When it was clear he wasn’t getting one, he took hold of Leo’s clammy hand.

“Nod for yes, squeeze for no,” Daniel instructed, eyes desperately trying to meet Leo’s. The brown eyes flitted about, desperately trying to find a way to escape. However, he still managed a quick nod to signal his understanding.

“Are you okay?” Leo squeezed so tight it would have hurt if Daniel were human. “Alright. I’m going to take you outside, okay?” As Leo nodded in response, Daniel wrapped an arm around his shoulders and guided him through the guests and into the cool night air. Sitting down together on a stone bench, the hubbub of chatter was muted by the glass doors and the chill breeze helped clear Leo’s mind.

The tension in his muscles dissipated, shoulders slumped as he leaned his head back against the wall. Hands hiding his face, he asked Daniel between his fingers: “You don’t even know me. Why- How did you know what to do to help?”

“Care protocols. Even after deviancy, some code can still take hold.” He waited for Leo to lower his hands before giving his shoulder a gentle, playful bump. “Speaking of not knowing you, are you ready to tell me your name?” 

Leo flushed a deep red, averting his gaze and rubbing his arm. “Right, uh, sorry about that. I’m Leo – Leo Manfred.”

“Ah, Markus’-” He cut himself off when he noticed Leo’s expression turn sour. “Good to finally put a name to a face. Simon talks about you a fair bit.”

At this Leo looked up, tilting his head in confused curiosity. “He… does? What kind of things does he say?”

“Oh, this and that. Mainly about his hopes to finally meet you and questions about what Markus used to be like. Shame you bumped into me instead.”

Embarrassment flooded through Leo once again, forcing him to push through his feeling lest he repeat his earlier meltdown. “I’m still so sorry about that, I just-”

“It’s fine, really. We are the same model so I don’t blame you for not being able to tell us apart.” Daniel’s foot nudged Leo’s as he shifted his gaze to the ground. “So… Has this sort of thing happened to you before?”

Tugging at a stray thread on his sleeve, Leo tried to think back to any other times he felt… well, like he just did. It was hard to describe what this ‘thing’ was, let alone acknowledge it. He’d struggled articulating himself for as long as he could remember, easily growing frustrated with himself and shutting down when things got too much. After his concussion in November, the words that tumbled from his mouth were harder to come by and often came out in the wrong order. It never got _this_ bad though, bad enough to freeze him in place, apart from maybe his last ‘conversation’ with Markus. This was all too personal, however, especially for a guy he’d just met, so Leo offered a shrug in lieu of responding.

“You know, I’m kind of sick of this party. The music sucks.” Daniel stood up, dusting himself off before offering Leo his hand. “Do you want to come back to my place? It’s fairly new, but I’m working on it. We can also grab some food on the way there if you’d like.”

Right – the latest ruling. Androids could now own or rent property. Warnings about going off with strangers flashed in Leo’s mind but they never stopped him before.

Leo took Daniel’s hand. 

-

The late-night grocery run took longer than expected, darkness greeting Daniel as he entered the apartment as quietly as he could. There was a possibility that Leo would have been asleep by this hour and considering his poor sleeping habits, Daniel didn’t want any part in disturbing him.

Since the night of the party, visits turned into overnight-stays before evolving into Leo gradually moving in, the arrangement suiting them both. Daniel liked having someone to dote on once more and Leo certainly wasn’t complaining about the attention he was receiving. 

Blue light from a computer screen escaped from the barely open bedroom door, drawing Daniel in. Peeking his head around the doorframe, Daniel caught a glimpse of Leo sitting at his desk, brows furrowed in thought as his hands tried to copy those on the screen. The signs were instantly recognizable to Daniel as American Sign Language, albeit preformed rather clumsily.

It was cute, Daniel thought, how focused Leo was on learning. If he was being honest, it was also nice to see Leo put his energy towards something productive. The man was restless, often aimlessly wandering around the apartment, so this was a pleasant change. Suspecting this drive stemmed from Leo’s nonverbal moments, Daniel made a note to download all the information on signing so that when needed, he could help Leo out.

-

This wasn’t meant to happen. Daniel and Leo had been invited by Simon to the Manfred mansion, a chance to catch up with Markus there as well. Already apprehensive over the turbulent relationship, the PL600s tried to plan it so that Leo and Markus were never left alone together.

They all sat on the plush chairs in the living room, the conversation sticking to small-talk and mainly carried by the blond brothers.

Having excused himself to the bathroom, Leo left the three androids. They chatted amongst themselves, free to discuss android-related topics without the need to exclude the only human. Then, Markus left to bring in more refreshments from the kitchen. Unfortunately, while he was there, Leo had finished his business and ended up in the room alone with Markus. Squaring the other up, they watched and waited to see who would speak first, shoulders drawn back. After a short, tense period of silence, Leo spoke up.

“So… you and Simon, huh. Wondered when you’d finally pick up the hints he was dropping.”

“I could express my amazement at you and Daniel. Tell me, Leo, do you see him as a plastic pet?”

“Shut up. He’s different. He actually fucking cares about me, unlike _some_ people I could name,” he spat with a snarl, baring his teeth.

“Don’t you dare bring Carl into this,” Markus replied, his expression darkening as he looked down on Leo.

“So you agree? Dad didn’t actually care about me? I didn’t even bring his name up and yet you made an educated guess. Besides, I was mainly thinking of you.” Leo’s hands left sweaty imprints on the marble countertops as he made his way around the room, looking at everything but Markus. “Still can’t believe dad left this place to you. Even before your lot got the right to own shit.”

“He trusted me to look after it, plus I am the one who’s most familiar with it. Remind me, who was it that lived here and took care of him?”

Trembling by his side, Leo’s hands clenched into fists as he tried to keep his growing anger in check. He despised Markus’ line of reasoning, recognising the truth whilst also being painfully aware of the circumstances he was in during that time. He was just a _kid_ for Christ’s sake, how was he meant to take care of a father that was barely in his life in the first place?

Red started to tinge his vision, blood pounding in his ears. He wanted to hurt something, _someone_ , and Markus’ perfectly sculpted face was still glaring at him.

Words swam around his mind, fighting their way to the front, eager to transform pain into anger. ‘Took care of dad’? Sure, Markus took care of him alright.

Leo’s index finger jabbed at Markus’ chest before sliding across the top of his left palm, finishing with the thumb on his outstretched right hand tapping the side of his head twice. _You killed dad_. 

“Are you- are you seriously arguing with me in sign?”

Leo threw his hands up in frustration. Why couldn’t Markus just understand where he was coming from?

It was at that moment Daniel decided to walk in, pausing to stare at the electrifying tension. By now he had been around Leo long enough to recognise the signs of his unique breakdowns, body tense and shaking. In a couple of strides, Daniel was at Leo’s side, placing a brief comforting hand on his shoulder.

“What’s been going on here?” Daniel asked, positioning himself between the brothers, slightly in front of Leo. Ignoring the tugs at his shirt, he kept his eyes fixed on Markus’.

“Why don’t you ask Leo? I’m sure he’d love to tell you all about our conversation.”

“Enough. I’ll ask him later.” Simon stood in the doorway, attracted by the rising voices, about to repeat the same question Daniel asked before being cut off. “We’re leaving.”

-

“You okay?” Daniel signed as he spoke, allowing Leo to respond in whichever way suited him best, while they exited the driveway.

“It’s fine,” Leo shrugged, the timing of his words suggesting the careful consideration behind them. “Nothing we haven’t argued about before. I’m glad you came in when you did, though. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.” 

“I’m proud of you.”

“What for? I couldn’t even win the dumb argument.”

“You stood your ground, Leo. Even if Markus didn’t show it, your point got to him."

Leo’s head rested against Daniel’s arm, their intertwined fingers swinging as they made their way home.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on twitter @ gavinfckr :)


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